Mina Corpuz | Sentinel & Enterprise | July 31, 2018
WESTMINSTER — Town Administrator Karen Murphy is calling a land swap that could allow the town to expand its landfill and grow the Leominster State Forest a win-win situation.
Legislation could authorize the town to acquire 85 acres of forest land, which the town plans to use for the landfill. In return, Westminster would give 175 acres to the state, increasing the forest by about 90 acres.
“We’re losing a lot of landfill space around the state, so we feel the landfill is meeting a need around here,” she said.
Acquiring the state forest land could add another 10 years to the landfill, according to a fact sheet about the legislation proposed by Reps. Jon Zlotnik, Kim Ferguson, and Stephan Hay.
Extending the life of the landfill could help while solutions for longterm waste management are developed, he said.
“This will help us while we figure things out,” Hay said.
The bill is up for consideration by the House Committee on Ways and Means.
It needs a vote on the House floor and approval by the Senate by tomorrow, which is the end of the legislative session. If approved, it would go to the governor.
Last year, a state permit was issued to allow the landfill to accept nearly 140,000 tons more waste annually, which increased the landfill’s life span by five years.
Previously, the landfill was expected to reach capacity in 2019.
Voters approved a zoning amendment at last year’s fall Town Meeting to create an overlay district that will allow Westminster to expand the landfill.
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